Requiem
by irukandji
Summary: Persuaded that the perfection of biological, psychological, and chemical warfare will lead to the redemption of mankind, Doctor Erwin Smith imprisons the members of the 104 squad. Soon they become mere experiments, enduring the agony of nonanesthetized surgeries, the ailments of fatal diseases, and the terrors of psychological torture. [Medical Torture/Experimentation!AU]


"Doctor Smith!" Extravagantly reclined against the cluttered countertop that lined the back wall, a maniacal brunette allowed an eager greeting to disturb the silence. Armin's eyes flickered open as a door slammed and jolted him awake, revealing an arena that engulfed his mind in bewilderment. Incapable of comprehending the situation, he glanced out of his cell, disoriented and languid; the picturesque man poised in the center of the room stole his breath away.

His posture was regal; he stood erect, magnificently towering above all like the great emperors of Rome. A semblance of supremacy emanated from his body; unchallenged and unconquerable, he bore a crown of pride and self-assurance atop his golden locks. As if he had been sculpted from tungsten, the features of his body were bold and robust. He reeked of the arrogance of an educated, affluent man.

"Hange," he acknowledged in return.

Beneath the blazing fluorescent lights, the contours of his body cast sinister shadows across his pale, foreboding lab coat. He callously bid his time, assessing the physique and morale of each individual prisoner as they began to wake from the anesthetic and struggled to discern their position. His impervious gaze scrutinized each of the caged adolescents. Coyly, he watched as the captives' rebellious glares were abated beneath his stare; some exclaimed, some cursed, and some began to snivel, but each hushed upon sighting the evil examining them in the center of the room. After all had awoken, he cleared his throat, resembling the growl of a beast.

"With dreams of contributing to the redemption of our Nation and of providing humanity with your humble services, you entered the Legion, did you not?" His voice resonated into the prisoners' cells and harshly penetrated their sensitive ears.

"Of course – we wish to aid the Legion and avenge humanity!" Brimming with fervor and anger, an obnoxious proclamation erupted from Eren's throat. He bid tact little attention and recklessly endorsed his passion. A stocky male released a loud snort, mocking the idiocy of such senseless language.

"Unfortunately, you will no longer be serving in the Legion; you have each been announced _missing in action_." The bile cascading down each adolescent's throat froze, and anxiety intoxicated their bloodstream. Questions and protests pooled in their mouths, but their tongues and bodies were immobilized by the indisputable tone of his speech.

"You have been conditioned to believe that the most honorable service you may complete is self-sacrifice upon the battlefield; you believe that such selfless dedication is the key to the success of our nation in the restoration of humankind's rectitude. Such beliefs are false." The glacial temperature of the room seemed to plummet ten degrees lower as the beliefs which they had dedicated their lives to were refuted with such brutal disdain.

"No, you're wrong," Eren shrieked, anguished by the notion that one could repudiate his precious conceptions of the Legion. He attempted to lunge forward, but he merely stumbled to the floor with spinning vision in his anemic state.

"Tch, arrogant brat," the smallest man spat crudely.

"War is not the campaign of justice against sin you conceive it to be. The triumph you seek for humankind will not be achieved with blades in your hands. Your role as a solider could neither bring victory to our nation nor justice to mankind; it is your role as an _experiment_ that will." His malicious words cascaded over the prisoners, but despite the terror seizing their bodies, few understood the severe implications of his speech.

Armin was paralyzed; he had stumbled upon this subject once before; such atrocities had appeared to be little more than propaganda.

"As of today, you will realize your role in the victory of our Nation. You will sacrifice your bodies to my experiments, and what becomes of you through each trial will ultimately lead to the redemption of mankind." The saliva dissipated from Armin's mouth.

"T-that's a violation! It's a crime against humanity!" Whatever power and intensity Armin wished his outcry to resound with diminished as soon as the words left his tongue. He was a caged bird, singing songs that would never sow their freedom; they were helpless.

"It is a crime _for_ humanity. It is the crime that will return humankind to greatness!" Doctor Erwin Smith's ferocious voice deafened them. No being could dissuade him; this was the destiny of mankind.

"Hange, I trust your discretion: eliminate those who serve no purpose." The captives' heads and hearts throbbed with despair. Hange swung off the countertop and purred.


End file.
